I've read a lot about this and watched a lot of peoples videos and I've seen some really beautiful jobs, but I've probably seen many more horribly botched jobs. I think the bad jobs are a result of: A) poor or rushed preparation of the surface to be finished and/or B) lack of patience in working through the steps.
This method is from what I've read about tinting, good and bad, and my own trial and error having worked through a number of these. If you take your time and follow the steps here there's no reason you can't get good results.
The material for tinting is VHT Nite Shades. You should be able to find it at the big auto parts stores. One can will be enough to tint all your vehicles and a number of your friends and family.
For clear coating buy a can of whatever automotive clear your a/p store has, like Duplicolor. Stay away from the Walmart Krylon clears, they are more of a crafts finish. I have seen on the internet a package deal with a Duplicolor clear.
Buy an assorted pack of wet/dry sandpapers as well as some sheets of the finer grades: 600, 800, 1500, 2000 grit. Also have on hand some solvent like mineral spirits or lacquer thinner for surface prep, and if the tint goes on horribly wrong you can wipe it off with solvent and start over. You should have a few micro-fiber or lint-free wipes on hand.
Remove the tail lights from the van. There are two screws each, behind the doors, then they will pivot out and away from the van. The bulb holders twist counter-clockwise to remove. The top and bottom bulb holders have a catch that needs to be depressed to twist them out.
Tape up the bulb openings on the back of the lights to keep out moisture from wet sanding.
The lights have raised lettering molded in. Use a single edge blade to slice across and cut off the lettering. be careful not to dig in with the blade and leave a nick.
Use the edge of the blade to scrape whats left down level with the surface.
All the raised surfaces should be scraped smooth and level.
There's a lot of imperfection in the molded surface and we want it nice and flat so I start pretty aggressive, wet sanding with 220 grit. I like to use a pan or tray with a fresh supply of water and keep the sanding surface really wet, dipping your paper frequently. You may notice depressions in the surface where the plastic parts are molded together. If necessary, scrape them with the single edge blade and level with 220 grit. Dry the surface occasionally to check progress, you don't want any shiny areas. Sand until the entire surface is uniformly dull. Make sure you've sanded into all the surfaces and corners of the reverse lens.
Move on to 320 grit to take out the scratches from the previous sanding. Wipe the surface dry to inspect progress. Make sure there are no scratches left from the previous 220 grit, you will see any scratches easily against the sheen of the surface.
Repeat the process with 400 grit, then 600 grit, each time wiping dry to make sure you've removed any scratches from the previous sanding grit. I've had good results just sanding to 600 grit but it certainly wouldn't hurt to go finer. When you're done sanding dry the light and inspect it carefully. It should have an even, dull appearance all over. Any sanding scratches showing from earlier, heavier grits will show through the finished job.
Clean up the light with some fresh water. Clean behind all the edges, and clean and blow out the recess around the reverse light. Next clean the surface with a lint free cloth and some mineral spirits or solvent to remove any fingerprints or oils.
I like to mask the reverse light so it doesn't get tinted. This masking will be removed before clear coating. Also mask off the black part where the lights screw to the van.
The lights are ready for spray. Set up in a well ventilated area and so that you won't need to move the lights. I like to spray them together so they get the same tint coverage. Give the lights one last wipe with solvent, dry them with a lint-free wipe, and check that they are absolutely clean.
You should be spraying on a nice dry day. High humidity in the air will cause bad results with fogging and fisheyes. Any temperature above about 50f is okay as long as the humidity is low.
Shake the heck out of the can of Nite Shades, it has black particles suspended in clear and you want them really well mixed. Before you spray the lights, do a couple test sprays on a sheet of cardboard or something to get the feel of the spray and the coverage.
If you move the spray too quickly you will get choppy coverage, like I've shown on this fire extinguisher:
If you move the spray too slowly you will get too dark too quick and may get runs in the surface:
Shake your can some more then start to spray off the piece to clear the tip from sputtering, then pass your spray across the piece and continue spraying off the end.
The biggest mistake I've seen in applying the tint is trying to do too much in one coat. I saw a video where the guy sprayed over and over the piece, his first coat was already too black and probably runny. I like to do one pass only for each part of the light. Start with one pass low to get the edges, then go around and do the same to the other side. Finish with one pass across the top to fill it in. That's it for one coat. Don't worry if the tint looks slightly uneven, the subsequent coats will blend it together. Don't worry about the surface texture, it will probably look dry and orange-peely.
Turn the can over and clear the spray tip. Wipe the tip clean with some solvent. Shake up the can between coats.
Wait about 3-5 minutes and spray another coat. Always spray a little to clear the tip before starting the coat. Try to vary your spray pattern slightly from the first coat to even out coverage. This is my lights after two coats and a quick third one just across the ends of the lights. For comparison I've shown the pre-sprayed pic.
Continue with additional coats after 3-5 minutes. Keep a careful eye on how much tint you've applied, it's easy to go too dark. If you feel you've botched the tint, get out the solvent and wipe them clean, and you can start over.
When your happy with the darkness of the tint, let the lights sit for 10-20 minutes to set up. Then using the tip of a sharp knife, pull away the masking from the reverse light. Be very careful not to touch the painted surface.
Start right away with clear coats. You can spray a little heavier coat now, just avoid getting runs. Don't worry about surface texture either, you don't need a smooth wet coat because it's all going to get wet sanded. Only wait long enough between coats to let the surface firm up, again like 3-5 minutes. I like to do a minimum of 3 coats of clear. Make sure your coats cover the edges and ends of the lights.
With all the clear coats done, leave the lights to dry for an hour or so. If need be they can be carefully reinstalled in the van. We need to wait at least 24 hours for final sanding.
Final wet sanding is very delicate because if you burn through the clear you will get into the tint and it can't be touched up. Start with 800 grit and keep the paper really wet. Work on only the flat areas. Dry the light often and check your progress. Do an area at a time, and be very careful of the edges and corners. Move on to 1500 grit pretty soon and start to very carefully work out to the edges and onto the corners. Lots and lots of water! Finish detail sanding with 2000 grit, then do a complete careful sanding of the light with the 2000. When your done and dried it should be uniformly dull with no shiny orange peel.
At this point you should be able to easily hand buff with a fine compound and a micro fiber wipe to a jewel like appearance. I like to use an 8" muslin wheel on the grinder with a super fine compound lightly applied to the wheel. Finish them off with a coat of wax and put them back on your van. Enjoy your new lights! :thumbup: